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Cairnspring Mills recently (early summer 2023) modified their Trailblazer flour which is used by our greater Seattle area bakers to a blend. This blend doesn’t have the same enzymatic activity as the previous version. As a result, we recommend adding 2g – 5g of diastatic malt per loaf to the autolyse step.

Below is the email sent to our bakers on Saturday, July 22nd.

This email is an update on a “rising” issue many are experiencing, including myself, with our bread bakes over the past 3-5 doughnations.

I think we’ve finally cracked the code. It seems to result from the shift in the Trailblazer flour, which is now a blend of wheat vs a single varietal of Yecora Rojo. This new blended TB flour has a higher falling number (FN), one of the metrics flour manufacturers often test for future bread performance. The WSU bread lab has a machine that runs the Hagburg Falling Number test.

The machine at the lab, looks roughly like the above. It is used to measure the enzyme activity in flour. The FN (Falling Number) of flour is related to the amount and activity of cereal enzyme α-amylase, which is present in wheat after harvesting.

The FN is the time in seconds required for a device to fall a measured distance through a hot flour/water mixture while heat is applied. (Literally tracking the speed of a plunger through the slurry.) If the enzymatic activity is high, the starch is rapidly broken down (liquefied) during gelatinization. So then, the device falls through the relatively liquid paste in a short time. A less viscous fluid opposing less resistance to the flow means the FN is low. On the other hand, if the enzyme’s activity is low, it takes longer for the device to cover the distance of its fall. This means the falling number is high.  See the Test

Which brings us to our current Trailblazer.

I do not know the exact falling number for our current TB, but it is reportedly HIGH by Mel Darbyshire, executive baker at Grand Central, who purchases silos of the stuff. And in the shop, meaning at Grand Central, they compensate for the higher falling number, lower enzymatic activity by adding diastatic malt. Diastatic malt vs nondiastic malt the first is cured at low heat and still has its enzymatic properties; nondiastic is mostly lovely sugars we like for browning.

If you are experiencing problems with your loaves, they aren’t rising like they used to, a little Diastatic Malt Powder is your friend. It might be difficult to find at your local store, but you can get it at Amazon, King Arthur, Web Restaurant, and other suppliers.

A little goes a long way. And there is a lot of information on the web. I recommend adding the diastatic malt powder at the beginning of the autolyze phase; you can also add it during the mix if you prefer. How much to add? The range is quite significant: Diastatic malt should be added to the total flour weight in the range of 0.5 to 2%. One loaf is approximately 600g; let’s start at .05%, which would be 5 grams per loaf; making 4 loaves, you’ll want to add 20 grams. Easy math and reasonable assurance for better activity.

There is a lot of information on making your own diastatic malt, for all you DIY’ers. Here is one source for the process: The Fresh Loaf

I’m so grateful we have a solution to this prickly problem; many of us were wracking our brains about why our near-perfect loaves were acting up. This is part of the issue. In addition, I will put the Organic Expresso to the test. It has a lower falling number and shouldn’t require the diastatic malt. I will also check with Cairnspring to understand whether the current FN issue will be persistent or seasonal. This is freshly milled wheat and flour and part of the ongoing variables that professional bakers manage. We’ve been blessed with so much consistency that it caught us a bit flat-footed, and flat loafed!

Back to FN & Diastatic Malt – Some of you may not have any issues. So this can be a tool in your toolkit down the road. For those of you who are, I’ve shared the beginning of the breadcrumb trail. Some of you will go quite deep down this rabbit hole, and I look forward to hearing from you and your continued learning.

2023-08-16 UPDATE:

Feedback from bakers using the new flour is that the diastatic malt has indeed done the trick. Loaves are back to standard heights.

One of the best things about Community Loaves is that moving to a neighborhood doesn’t mean you have to give up baking and donating.

When you started the program you selected you created a volunteer profile and selected your hub. Now you want to change your hub to one that is closer to your new residence. Here’s what you need to do…

1. Click on the yellow profile button on your volunteer dashboard.

2. Then click on the edit button.

3. Scroll down, type in your zip code and select the hub closest to your new home.

4. Don’t forget to hit “save” at the bottom. That’s it. Now you’re part of a new hub and they’ll be expecting you next donation Sunday!

Community Loaves baker badges are a way for us to have some fun and acknowledge the tremendous gifts of our volunteer bakers. Our bakers bake from the heart and badges are not really required, still we can’t help but have a little fun and provide a small token to represent the considerable accomplishments each baker makes.

You can see all your earned badges on your badge page. Click on “Achievements” on your dashboard to get to your page. Don’t see it? It is on the blue shaded bar after you log in. It looks like this:

Definitely take time to review what you’ve earned. We’re a small team putting this together, and we’re constantly mending the inevitable coding chinks. Let us know if you’re missing a badge, and even better recommend a badge you think folks would enjoy!

So many bakers watching the bread tutorial videos have asked, where can I find those large bowl covers.

Aren’t they great?!

I purchased these through Amazon. They are part of a set, containing multiple sizes. The largest size is great. I’ve put these covers to use for 3 years how and they are still going strong. Simply wash after use and then put back in the drawer.

Here is a link to them on Amazon: REUSABLE ELASTIC FOOD STORAGE BOWL COVERS

Let us know if you have any questions or an even better source!

So many bakers watching the bread tutorial videos have asked, where can I find those large bowl covers.

Aren’t they great?!

I purchased these through Amazon. They are part of a set, containing multiple sizes. The largest size is great. I’ve put these covers to use for 3 years how and they are still going strong. Simply wash after use and then put back in the drawer.

Here is a link to them on Amazon: REUSABLE ELASTIC FOOD STORAGE BOWL COVERS

Let us know if you have any questions or an even better source!

Our energy cookie calls for a couple different sugars.

Raw Sugar aka Raw Cane Sugar – Raw sugars are produced directly from the cane juice in a sugar mill close to cane fields. After the juice is extracted and clarified, it undergoes a single-crystallization process. Crystals are then centrifuged to remove most of the cane molasses. Often raw cane sugar is organic. Costco sells this in a 10 lb bag.

What Is Demerara Sugar or Turbinado Sugar?

We use these sugars for the crunch and sparkle! Both are used as garnishing sugars in baking to add crunch to the tops of baked goods, and is also popular for sweetening coffee, tea, and other drinks. 

Demerara sugar is one of several types of sugar that are classified as “raw” sugars, along with turbinado sugar, as well as products described as raw cane sugar, washed sugar, evaporated cane juice, and others. Contrary to popular belief, raw sugars such as demerara do in fact undergo a high degree of refining. What the term “raw” indicates is that it has been crystallized only once, as opposed to twice for granulated white sugar. It’s named for the Dutch and then British colony in what is now Guyana where the sugar was first produced.

You can find Turbinado Sugar at Trader Joe’s and most stores. Demerara tends to be a little harder to find and a little more expensive. Either works beautifully sprinkled on our cookies.

One of our favorite questions! Yes, we do provide these hours. You will find them on your volunteer profile page. You receive hours for baking and donating loaves and cookies, packing flour, packing cookie mix, serving as a hub leader, driving and/or organizing supplies, and helping out your hub leader. Just about every aspect of the program acknowledges your dedication with a volunteer time credit!

To find, view, and print your “statement”:

1. Login to your volunteer dashboard.
2. Click the yellow “Profile” button.
3. Scroll down, you’ll see some options for viewing your statement. This year, last year and then click to view as a pdf. You can also see all of this year’s donations itemized right ther on the profile page.
4. Donations are calculated as follows – 7 hours for every combination of 3-4 loaves of bread donated and 3 hours for every batch of cookies. These are based on existing averages. 
5. Note our EIN number is on the statement to make it easy for you when you file your annual tax return.
   

We track these efforts intentionally, young bakers can earn Community Service credit, and working bakers can submit their time with their companies for corporate matching. Those are really valuable dollars for this little non-profit organization.

If you need additional information to complete your submission, please send an email to bakersupport@communityloves.org

One of the best things about Community Loaves is that moving to a neighborhood doesn’t mean you have to give up baking and donating.

When you started the program you selected you created a volunteer profile and selected your hub. Now you want to change your hub to one that is closer to your new residence. Here’s what you need to do…

1. Click on the yellow profile button on your volunteer dashboard.

2. Then click on the edit button.

3. Scroll down, type in your zip code and select the hub closest to your new home.

4. Don’t forget to hit “save” at the bottom. That’s it. Now you’re part of a new hub and they’ll be expecting you next donation Sunday!

Cairnspring Mills recently (early summer 2023) modified their Trailblazer flour which is used by our greater Seattle area bakers to a blend. This blend doesn’t have the same enzymatic activity as the previous version. As a result, we recommend adding 2g – 5g of diastatic malt per loaf to the autolyse step.

Below is the email sent to our bakers on Saturday, July 22nd.

This email is an update on a “rising” issue many are experiencing, including myself, with our bread bakes over the past 3-5 doughnations.

I think we’ve finally cracked the code. It seems to result from the shift in the Trailblazer flour, which is now a blend of wheat vs a single varietal of Yecora Rojo. This new blended TB flour has a higher falling number (FN), one of the metrics flour manufacturers often test for future bread performance. The WSU bread lab has a machine that runs the Hagburg Falling Number test.

The machine at the lab, looks roughly like the above. It is used to measure the enzyme activity in flour. The FN (Falling Number) of flour is related to the amount and activity of cereal enzyme α-amylase, which is present in wheat after harvesting.

The FN is the time in seconds required for a device to fall a measured distance through a hot flour/water mixture while heat is applied. (Literally tracking the speed of a plunger through the slurry.) If the enzymatic activity is high, the starch is rapidly broken down (liquefied) during gelatinization. So then, the device falls through the relatively liquid paste in a short time. A less viscous fluid opposing less resistance to the flow means the FN is low. On the other hand, if the enzyme’s activity is low, it takes longer for the device to cover the distance of its fall. This means the falling number is high.  See the Test

Which brings us to our current Trailblazer.

I do not know the exact falling number for our current TB, but it is reportedly HIGH by Mel Darbyshire, executive baker at Grand Central, who purchases silos of the stuff. And in the shop, meaning at Grand Central, they compensate for the higher falling number, lower enzymatic activity by adding diastatic malt. Diastatic malt vs nondiastic malt the first is cured at low heat and still has its enzymatic properties; nondiastic is mostly lovely sugars we like for browning.

If you are experiencing problems with your loaves, they aren’t rising like they used to, a little Diastatic Malt Powder is your friend. It might be difficult to find at your local store, but you can get it at Amazon, King Arthur, Web Restaurant, and other suppliers.

A little goes a long way. And there is a lot of information on the web. I recommend adding the diastatic malt powder at the beginning of the autolyze phase; you can also add it during the mix if you prefer. How much to add? The range is quite significant: Diastatic malt should be added to the total flour weight in the range of 0.5 to 2%. One loaf is approximately 600g; let’s start at .05%, which would be 5 grams per loaf; making 4 loaves, you’ll want to add 20 grams. Easy math and reasonable assurance for better activity.

There is a lot of information on making your own diastatic malt, for all you DIY’ers. Here is one source for the process: The Fresh Loaf

I’m so grateful we have a solution to this prickly problem; many of us were wracking our brains about why our near-perfect loaves were acting up. This is part of the issue. In addition, I will put the Organic Expresso to the test. It has a lower falling number and shouldn’t require the diastatic malt. I will also check with Cairnspring to understand whether the current FN issue will be persistent or seasonal. This is freshly milled wheat and flour and part of the ongoing variables that professional bakers manage. We’ve been blessed with so much consistency that it caught us a bit flat-footed, and flat loafed!

Back to FN & Diastatic Malt – Some of you may not have any issues. So this can be a tool in your toolkit down the road. For those of you who are, I’ve shared the beginning of the breadcrumb trail. Some of you will go quite deep down this rabbit hole, and I look forward to hearing from you and your continued learning.

2023-08-16 UPDATE:

Feedback from bakers using the new flour is that the diastatic malt has indeed done the trick. Loaves are back to standard heights.

Our Community Loaves recipe calls for the use of Olive Oil. It provides a lovely tenderizing quality to our bread and serves as a natural preservative, extending the shelf life just a bit.

Not all olive oils are the same. Our formulas were developed with Kirkland Signature’s Organic Olive Oil, but you can substitute any olive oil, including a “best quality,” if you want a milder flavor profile.

Butter is not an acceptable substitution. Although delicious, it messes with the nutrition, and right now, we have no dairy in our bread, which can be helpful for those with dairy allergies.

Avocado oil, however, would be a truly acceptable substitution, plant-based and nutritionally it is on par, but it is not indicated on our “label” so we ask you not to substitute the fat. One never knows if someone out there might have an Avocado oil allergy and we didn’t alert the recipient through our packaging information.

But, if this is something you all would like us to consider, we can change our bread bag and add Avocado Oil to the list of ingredients. It would say Olive or Avocado Oil. Similar to the way we say Honey or Molasses. Pretty simple. Please use the discussion in this FAQ to let us know if that interests you!

We love flour, and the choices we make provide flavor and nutrition to our bread. Wherever possible, we recommend the use of freshly milled, local flours. In this way, we extend our Baking the World A Better Place to foster a vibrant regional grain economy and deepen our respect for providing local food banks with items made from high-quality ingredients. At the same time, our love of baking and need to create a sustainable non-profit organization creates a winning combination. Our volunteer bakers are able to purchase the flour at a steep discount to retail pricing and we manage to fundraise at the same time.

But what if you need to make a substitution? Substitutions are sometimes needed.

Here are the Washington recommended flours – used 50/50 in our bread loaf – and their suitable substitutions:

• Trail Blazer – High Extraction – T85 Bread Flour (Ash count .85%)*
  • Cairnsprings – Organic Expresso Artisan Bread Flour
  • Cairnsprings – Sequoia Bread Flour
    
• Fairhaven Fine Bread Flour – Whole Grain Flour
  • Cairnsprings – Organic Expresso Whole Grain Flour
  • Mill Your Own Whole Grain Flour
  • Other Whole Grain Bread Flour
    
• The bread formula differs slightly in different locations. For example in California we recommend using Central Milling’s T110 flour. That is a one-stop shop; no “blending” is needed for our loaf. It is the equivalent of the two mixtures above. If you have a different formula you will find flour coaching on your formulas page off the volunteer dashboard.

*Note Trail Blazer flour has had some inconsistencies in it’s enzymatic activity. The current recommendation is to add a pinch of diastatic malt – or substitute for one of the other T85 flours. See Details Here

Our energy cookie calls for a couple different sugars.

Raw Sugar aka Raw Cane Sugar – Raw sugars are produced directly from the cane juice in a sugar mill close to cane fields. After the juice is extracted and clarified, it undergoes a single-crystallization process. Crystals are then centrifuged to remove most of the cane molasses. Often raw cane sugar is organic. Costco sells this in a 10 lb bag.

What Is Demerara Sugar or Turbinado Sugar?

We use these sugars for the crunch and sparkle! Both are used as garnishing sugars in baking to add crunch to the tops of baked goods, and is also popular for sweetening coffee, tea, and other drinks. 

Demerara sugar is one of several types of sugar that are classified as “raw” sugars, along with turbinado sugar, as well as products described as raw cane sugar, washed sugar, evaporated cane juice, and others. Contrary to popular belief, raw sugars such as demerara do in fact undergo a high degree of refining. What the term “raw” indicates is that it has been crystallized only once, as opposed to twice for granulated white sugar. It’s named for the Dutch and then British colony in what is now Guyana where the sugar was first produced.

You can find Turbinado Sugar at Trader Joe’s and most stores. Demerara tends to be a little harder to find and a little more expensive. Either works beautifully sprinkled on our cookies.

Community Loaves is a value add to the exceptional and vital work completed daily at foodbanks throughout the region. As an organization, we love to bake, and we love to donate fresh, nutritious, and delicious items such as our Sandwich Bread and Energy Cookies to our food bank partners.

Becoming a partner is easy and free. It can, however, take a little time to create a brigade of bakers in each geographic location. If you are interested in a Community Loaves effort to support your foodbank, we would love to start the conversation.

To learn more, check out our Foodbank Partner Page.

So many bakers watching the bread tutorial videos have asked, where can I find those large bowl covers.

Aren’t they great?!

I purchased these through Amazon. They are part of a set, containing multiple sizes. The largest size is great. I’ve put these covers to use for 3 years how and they are still going strong. Simply wash after use and then put back in the drawer.

Here is a link to them on Amazon: REUSABLE ELASTIC FOOD STORAGE BOWL COVERS

Let us know if you have any questions or an even better source!

All volunteer bakers begin their journey with us by attending a virtual information session. This allows you to learn about the organization and the impact of our freshly baked donations. Sign up for one of these sessions here: ATTEND A BAKER SESSION

Don’t see a time that works? Please contact us, we’ll help you out!

Information sessions are just an hour with plenty of time for questions. You will leave the session completely prepared to begin baking the world a better place.

Life happens, we know. You can easily sign up for another session, just revisit the “Bake With Us” link and choose the next available that matches with your schedule.

Unable to find a session that works with your schedule? There is a possibility we have a recording to share with you. Please email us here.

This is a big beautiful volunteer project, 100%. Our bakers give their time, talent, and treasure to bake and donate our honey oat sandwich bread and energy cookies to our local food banks.

Every donation is logged on your volunteer baker profile, and you can pull a giving statement anytime. The giving statement records the total items donated, the volunteer time to complete those donations, and the financial cost.

Cost For A Loaf Of Bread: The current cost to make and bake one loaf of bread is $2.84, including the packaging. This can vary, especially in our expanded markets like California or Idaho. If you purchase different flour or types of ingredients, for example, specialty honey or farmer’s market oats, the loaf price could be higher. Our price used Costco honey, oatmeal, and olive oil. For the flour, we used our Community Loaves flour store pricing. Bakers are given a 7-hour donation of time credit for every batch of 3-4 loaves donated. Use this time credit to satisfy community service requirements or request corporate matching! Our non-profit benefits greatly from corporate matching!

Cost Per Energy Cookie: Similarly, we’ve priced out the Energy Cookie to $.88 cents per cookie, fully packaged. We used average store pricing for the ingredients beyond the mix – unsweetened apple sauce, pecans, cornmeal, blueberries, and raw sugar… An entire batch of cookies, 32, costs $28.23 and takes 3 hours to produce. Again, your volunteer time for younger bakers can be used to satisfy community service requirements or for those in industry, serve as support in the request for corporate matching.

Volunteers can download their current statement anytime! It is found on your volunteer profile page.

There are two donation opportunities every month. Typically the second and fourth Sunday’s of the month. The schedule can vary in a month due to holidays. Our Community Loaves calendar is set for the entire year to make it easier for our volunteers to plan their baking.

There is no minimum donation requirement. However, our food bank partners can use all the bread and energy cookies we can possibly donate, and demand exceeds supply across the board. Your contributions, when you are able to bake and donate will be cherished by the food bank clients.

There are some volunteers who have never missed a donation, but more commonly, our volunteer bakers develop a routine that fits into their busy schedules. For some, that is once a month or every other month. Just know that whenever you participate, you are helping to nourish your local neighbors in need.

And, our formulas freeze beautifully, which means you can plan ahead! If you know you will be out of town for a donation, you can bake ahead, package, and freeze your donation. On donation Sunday, simply take them out of the freezer and drop at your neighborhood hub. Alternatively, you can make an early donation by taking them to a local freezer bank.

The amount of time donated depends on what you choose to bake, our bread formula typically takes 6-7 hours depending on the formula you choose. Of course, being bread, that isn’t all hands-on time. If you want to make our Energy Cookie that takes about 3 hours, start to finish. Not all our volunteers are bakers. Some dedicate their time to helping this non-profit thrive by helping pack supplies, assisting with administrative work, providing volunteer support and service. A host of roles and responsibilities that allow us to bake a difference for our food bank partners.

Our requirements regarding volunteering are governed by common sense and insurance standards. The following should provide you the information you need:

1. Baker – anyone accepting and following our baking best practices can bake and donate. Younger bakers, middle and high school age can earn volunteer service hours for their time. It is expected that all young bakers will follow the safety practices and follow the recipes precisely.
   
2. Flour Packer – no age limit. However, precision in breaking down 50 lb bags into 5 lb portions is a must. Flour is our thing, so neatness and attention to detail matter.
   
3. Stage and Load the Truck – ability to lift, without struggle, 40 lbs.
   
4. Drive The Truck – Twenty-five years of age or older with a valid driver’s license and insurance.

Testing suggests that you can mix the cookie dough and delay portioning and baking for up to 72 hours, that’s three days!

Our fearless leader, Katherine Kehrli, likes to whip up a double batch then bake off two or three sheet trays at a time over the subsequent evenings.

You definitely need to let the dough “hydrate” soak up the liquid in an overnight rest period. But, don’t feel like you have to rush right to baking. If your schedule gets interrupted know that you can still make these delicious cookies 24, 48 and even 72 hours later.

After 72 hours, you’ll notice that the dough starts to “seep,” releasing the liquid. That’s not the best for a successful bake. You can try stirring and incorporating that moisture back in, but basically, the grains are saying they’re done. Hydration is over, and the cell structure is releasing some moisture.

1. Let your hub leader know you’re coming by pre-checking your donation. You’ll find the red donation button on your volunteer dashboard in the Make A Donation section. Select the first box on the left, Loaves & Cookies. It looks like this:

2. You can check your loaves or cookies at any hub or freezer bank that is convenient for you. (Typically, the most convenient is your neighborhood hub.)

3. Heading out of town for the weekend? You can also check your items into one of our freezer banks. Select that radial button, and then from the list, the freezer that is closest to you. Using our freezer banks gives you the ultimate flexibility in your donation timing.

4. You will receive an email confirmation that your items have been pre-checked.

We donate twice a month. The calendar is set a year in advance. Our intent when setting the calendar is to minimize overlapping with holidays, where our food bank partners might be closed, or our volunteer bakers otherwise occupied.

Additionally, when setting dates we intentionally avoid back-to-back donations. Finally, we do not bake and donate in August. For the health of the organization, hub leaders, operations people, bakers, we all need a break, and frankly it is also too hot to bake! That said, for those diehard bakers, those who must bake, it is a great time to freeze your donation and stock up for September.

Speaking of freezers. Using our “freezer banks” is the perfect way to volunteer on your own time. Heading out of town for the weekend? Pre-check your loaves in one of our “freezer banks”. Your donation karma is secured and you don’t have to worry about getting home on time. Learn More Here

Our program calendar is a terrific resource for all dates, you find that on your volunteer dashboard, right at the top. And, for convenience, we’ve included the full 2023 list below as well.

A special donation is a way for us to provide a little extra heart and care to our food bank partners and their clients, specifically around holidays. Baking and donating the special items is fun and adds a little variety and spice to our usual donations. Not your thing, special donations are optional.

We have two scheduled special donations in 2023:

1. The second donation in November, in preparation for the Thanksgiving Meal boxes our food banks often provide their clients, volunteers are encouraged to convert their bread loaves into rolls. You can use the same packaging. See this video for instructions and recommendations on how to make rolls.
   
2. The second donation in December, ‘Tis the Season to extend cheer and best wishes for the New Year! We do this with a signature holiday cookie box. The cookie that is baked is the winner of our annual holiday cookie competition. Click here to see a list of the 2022 winner and all the entries.

One of our favorite questions! Yes, we do provide these hours. You will find them on your volunteer profile page. You receive hours for baking and donating loaves and cookies, packing flour, packing cookie mix, serving as a hub leader, driving and/or organizing supplies, and helping out your hub leader. Just about every aspect of the program acknowledges your dedication with a volunteer time credit!

To find, view, and print your “statement”:

1. Login to your volunteer dashboard.
2. Click the yellow “Profile” button.
3. Scroll down, you’ll see some options for viewing your statement. This year, last year and then click to view as a pdf. You can also see all of this year’s donations itemized right ther on the profile page.
4. Donations are calculated as follows – 7 hours for every combination of 3-4 loaves of bread donated and 3 hours for every batch of cookies. These are based on existing averages. 
5. Note our EIN number is on the statement to make it easy for you when you file your annual tax return.
   

We track these efforts intentionally, young bakers can earn Community Service credit, and working bakers can submit their time with their companies for corporate matching. Those are really valuable dollars for this little non-profit organization.

If you need additional information to complete your submission, please send an email to bakersupport@communityloves.org

We are thrilled to participate as a charitable organization in Washington Combined Fund Drive. Here our volunteers can extend their generosity through direct giving.

If you are employed by WA state, including any of our state colleges and institutions and/or at the Port of Olympia, Seattle Housing Authority, and Snohomish County PUD you can participate!

Our OSOS Charity Program # is 1483063

It couldn’t be easier to set up. Click on the banner linked below.

One of the best things about Community Loaves is that moving to a neighborhood doesn’t mean you have to give up baking and donating.

When you started the program you selected you created a volunteer profile and selected your hub. Now you want to change your hub to one that is closer to your new residence. Here’s what you need to do…

1. Click on the yellow profile button on your volunteer dashboard.

2. Then click on the edit button.

3. Scroll down, type in your zip code and select the hub closest to your new home.

4. Don’t forget to hit “save” at the bottom. That’s it. Now you’re part of a new hub and they’ll be expecting you next donation Sunday!

Sometimes it is hard to know what to say in the twice-a-month cheerleading for your hubs. Here are a couple of emails that could serve as inspiration.

From Sandy Merrit-Shea to her hub leaders, following a recent donation:

Good Morning Bonney Lake Hub Bakers!

This Sunday, the 25th, is donation day. So get those bread loaves and Energy Cookies ready to be dropped off!  Here is the info: 18402 139th St E. from 9 am – 5 pm. Donation bin on the front porch w/signup sheet on a clipboard.

Remember to record #’s today on the website, too.  The Bonney Lake Food Bank will be closed on Monday the 26th, so I will deliver to them on Tuesday.  If you would like to drop off donations to the hub on Monday, to keep everything frozen one more day, I will be here. Whichever day works best for you, Sunday or Monday, just text me if you would like to drop off on Monday.

Let’s welcome our newest bakers to join our baking brigade, Julia Osborne and Amy Vandenberg!  We are all so happy to have you with us on this journey to provide for our community; the Bonney Lake Food Bank thank you!

We also have some One Year Anniversaries to celebrate. Let’s give a round of applause to Gretchen McCallum, Wendy Adams, Amanda Kruger and Glenda Brown!  Thank you, Ladies, for helping to build our little hub into what it has become, I’m in awe of you all…Thank you!

It would be great to have everyone upload a picture on your profile page on the Community Loaves website.  Always so nice to have a face to go with your name, and I’ve even seen some of you out in the community, I love that!

We truly are Breader Together!

Sandy Merritt-Shea, Bonney Lake Hub Coordinator

We don’t use the word “essential” lightly. Our ability to deliver loaves and energy cookies twice a month is dependent on a cheerleader coordinator within the community. This hub leader serves as an anchor for the volunteer bakers in a specific geographic area and in support of a specific food bank partner or partners.

A robust set of tools has been built to make the cheerleading easy to execute or to delegate to helpful volunteers.

On average the volunteer time needed to be a hub leader is 10 hours or so a month. Most of that is passive time, receiving the donations twice a month. But active time is what helps us build community and improve our impact to our food bank partners.

Here is a short list of the essential tasks to be a hub leader:

• Communication – twice a month email communication using the CL email tool. Provide meaningful updates and/or requests to your hub members. Topics include…
  • New Program Logistics – (Holiday Cookie, New Formulas, Supply Delivery…)
  • Major member milestones – (anniversaries, volunteer time, achievements)
  • Request help from hub members – ask for assistance getting the donation to the food bank
  • Reinforce the value of the donation to the food bank – updates from the partnered food bank.
• Manage Bread & Cookie Donation – ensure that the loaves and cookies get to the food bank. (This doesn’t mean taking them yourself, it is an easy task to request help from others.)
• Understand the monthly local delivery or shipment process for supplies. If you manage a local shipment that involves a couple of hours each month.
• Coordinate an annual food bank tour – individually or in concert with other hubs that support the same food bank. This is also a great “task” for an enthusiastic hub member.

What follows are the essential agreements to be a CL hub leader:

• Your Photo or Avatar will be part of your profile – this livens up the CL Community and creates a familiar face for hub members to find.
• The existing partnered food bank will be the exclusive beneficiary – you cannot solicit new partners independently, but working with Community Loaves HQ, new partnerships may be pursued as needed.
• Use the hub leader management tools exclusively for all CL functions.
• Ask bakers to use the support resources directly vs. serving as a liaison for logistics inquiries. Creates unnecessary complexity – FAQ’s. (orders@communityloaves.org, info@communityloaves.org )
• Stay in contact and elevate any concerns or recommendations directly to me – your ideas big or small, help us continue to build a stronger program – katherine@communityloaves.org 
• Any and all press inquiries need to be directed to Community Loaves. From there we will  respond as a team.
• All branding and communication elements are the property of Community Loaves and usage needs to be approved by the mothership.
• Creation of any tools – including handouts, flyers, cards, etc.. to support the Community Loaves effort need to be approved by Katherine Kehrli and the communications team. 

The first button on your Hub Tool Bar is “Donation Check In.” Here are the steps.

1. On Donation Sunday, click on the Donation Check-In button and then using the “Print Check-In Sheet Button” print the list of all your bakers. The list will include those who’ve “pre-checked” at the top and all the other members at the bottom. Sometimes folks forget to pre-check. The button looks like this:

2. Place the printout on your hub clipboard and leave by your drop off door. Volunteers should initial and update their donation amounts directly on the clipboard.

3. At the end of the collection period. For example, the Kirkland Mothership drop off time window is 9:30 am – 5:00 pm, you return to the computer to record your final counts. Click back on the “Donation Check In” button and this time, click on “Record Final Counts”. Same picture as above.

4. You do not have to fill in zero’s for bakers. Just record actuals. If Katherine pre-registered 10 loaves but then showed up with 12, then refresh the information with the number “12” in the loaves column. You have a loaves and a cookies column and you want to be mindful that you’re updating the correct column.

5. Once you’ve updated the numbers you need to scroll to the bottom and hit submit! Looks like this.

6. You’ll also see that you can “add other baker”. Our volunteers are told they can drop off their donation wherever convenient. They will have written their name on the clipboard, and you can search for them under “Add Other Baker” and record their donation. Super easy.

7. That’s it. If you need additional help on this please reach out to breadertogether@communityloaves.org and we will get you up and running. To set up a “Delegate” to help you with the donation, for example if you are going to be out of town. Please advance to this FAQ on setting up a Delegate.

To support our baking efforts, we run a monthly flour fundraiser. This fundraiser gives our volunteer bakers a lovely discount on high-quality professional flours and allows our 501c3 non-profit organization to thrive! Like a sourdough starter, regular “feedings” help to fund our growth and development.

Locally, meaning in the greater Seattle area, we have a delivery service once a month. This takes place roughly the third week of each month. And the dates can be found on our program calendar. In order for our volunteers to have enough time to prepare for each delivery event, we turn the store off three days before we have to pack flour and load the truck. It is a good idea to order your supplies as soon as you know you need them.

We also direct ship some supplies to our baking friends and chapters in Idaho, Oregon, and California.

In all cases, we strive to keep this program accessible and affordable to the best of our ability while ensuring we can support our food banks for years to come.

This is one of our favorite questions!

Launching a new Community Loaves hub is a noble calling. You are building the foundation for supplying a local food bank with freshly baked, nutritious bread and energy cookies. All from the home kitchens of volunteer bakers. Being a hub leader is a rewarding volunteer effort helping to build community and providing logistical support to our twice-a-month donation effort. It isn’t hard, usually 10-15 hours a month, much of that “passive” time. Getting a new hub established does take a few steps.

First – If you haven’t attended a New Baker Information Session, please do this first. This provides the foundation for why and how we do the things we do. Find a date that works for you.

Second – Sign up for a New Hub Leader training session. This one-hour zoom session will provide the training and logistics for hosting a hub. If none of the upcoming sessions work for you, or there are no upcoming sessions posted, please email breadertogether@communityloaves.org, and we will work to establish a session date.

Third – If a food bank partner is needed in brand new geographic areas, we will work together to secure that partnership.

It might take a couple of months to assemble the pieces depending on our mutual availability. (This is mostly waiting and back-and-forth time for the next step.)

Sometimes it is hard to know what to say in the twice-a-month cheerleading for your hubs. Here are a couple of emails that could serve as inspiration.

From Sandy Merrit-Shea to her hub leaders, following a recent donation:

Good Morning Bonney Lake Hub Bakers!

This Sunday, the 25th, is donation day. So get those bread loaves and Energy Cookies ready to be dropped off!  Here is the info: 18402 139th St E. from 9 am – 5 pm. Donation bin on the front porch w/signup sheet on a clipboard.

Remember to record #’s today on the website, too.  The Bonney Lake Food Bank will be closed on Monday the 26th, so I will deliver to them on Tuesday.  If you would like to drop off donations to the hub on Monday, to keep everything frozen one more day, I will be here. Whichever day works best for you, Sunday or Monday, just text me if you would like to drop off on Monday.

Let’s welcome our newest bakers to join our baking brigade, Julia Osborne and Amy Vandenberg!  We are all so happy to have you with us on this journey to provide for our community; the Bonney Lake Food Bank thank you!

We also have some One Year Anniversaries to celebrate. Let’s give a round of applause to Gretchen McCallum, Wendy Adams, Amanda Kruger and Glenda Brown!  Thank you, Ladies, for helping to build our little hub into what it has become, I’m in awe of you all…Thank you!

It would be great to have everyone upload a picture on your profile page on the Community Loaves website.  Always so nice to have a face to go with your name, and I’ve even seen some of you out in the community, I love that!

We truly are Breader Together!

Sandy Merritt-Shea, Bonney Lake Hub Coordinator

Cairnspring Mills recently (early summer 2023) modified their Trailblazer flour which is used by our greater Seattle area bakers to a blend. This blend doesn’t have the same enzymatic activity as the previous version. As a result, we recommend adding 2g – 5g of diastatic malt per loaf to the autolyse step.

Below is the email sent to our bakers on Saturday, July 22nd.

This email is an update on a “rising” issue many are experiencing, including myself, with our bread bakes over the past 3-5 doughnations.

I think we’ve finally cracked the code. It seems to result from the shift in the Trailblazer flour, which is now a blend of wheat vs a single varietal of Yecora Rojo. This new blended TB flour has a higher falling number (FN), one of the metrics flour manufacturers often test for future bread performance. The WSU bread lab has a machine that runs the Hagburg Falling Number test.

The machine at the lab, looks roughly like the above. It is used to measure the enzyme activity in flour. The FN (Falling Number) of flour is related to the amount and activity of cereal enzyme α-amylase, which is present in wheat after harvesting.

The FN is the time in seconds required for a device to fall a measured distance through a hot flour/water mixture while heat is applied. (Literally tracking the speed of a plunger through the slurry.) If the enzymatic activity is high, the starch is rapidly broken down (liquefied) during gelatinization. So then, the device falls through the relatively liquid paste in a short time. A less viscous fluid opposing less resistance to the flow means the FN is low. On the other hand, if the enzyme’s activity is low, it takes longer for the device to cover the distance of its fall. This means the falling number is high.  See the Test

Which brings us to our current Trailblazer.

I do not know the exact falling number for our current TB, but it is reportedly HIGH by Mel Darbyshire, executive baker at Grand Central, who purchases silos of the stuff. And in the shop, meaning at Grand Central, they compensate for the higher falling number, lower enzymatic activity by adding diastatic malt. Diastatic malt vs nondiastic malt the first is cured at low heat and still has its enzymatic properties; nondiastic is mostly lovely sugars we like for browning.

If you are experiencing problems with your loaves, they aren’t rising like they used to, a little Diastatic Malt Powder is your friend. It might be difficult to find at your local store, but you can get it at Amazon, King Arthur, Web Restaurant, and other suppliers.

A little goes a long way. And there is a lot of information on the web. I recommend adding the diastatic malt powder at the beginning of the autolyze phase; you can also add it during the mix if you prefer. How much to add? The range is quite significant: Diastatic malt should be added to the total flour weight in the range of 0.5 to 2%. One loaf is approximately 600g; let’s start at .05%, which would be 5 grams per loaf; making 4 loaves, you’ll want to add 20 grams. Easy math and reasonable assurance for better activity.

There is a lot of information on making your own diastatic malt, for all you DIY’ers. Here is one source for the process: The Fresh Loaf

I’m so grateful we have a solution to this prickly problem; many of us were wracking our brains about why our near-perfect loaves were acting up. This is part of the issue. In addition, I will put the Organic Expresso to the test. It has a lower falling number and shouldn’t require the diastatic malt. I will also check with Cairnspring to understand whether the current FN issue will be persistent or seasonal. This is freshly milled wheat and flour and part of the ongoing variables that professional bakers manage. We’ve been blessed with so much consistency that it caught us a bit flat-footed, and flat loafed!

Back to FN & Diastatic Malt – Some of you may not have any issues. So this can be a tool in your toolkit down the road. For those of you who are, I’ve shared the beginning of the breadcrumb trail. Some of you will go quite deep down this rabbit hole, and I look forward to hearing from you and your continued learning.

2023-08-16 UPDATE:

Feedback from bakers using the new flour is that the diastatic malt has indeed done the trick. Loaves are back to standard heights.

Testing suggests that you can mix the cookie dough and delay portioning and baking for up to 72 hours, that’s three days!

Our fearless leader, Katherine Kehrli, likes to whip up a double batch then bake off two or three sheet trays at a time over the subsequent evenings.

You definitely need to let the dough “hydrate” soak up the liquid in an overnight rest period. But, don’t feel like you have to rush right to baking. If your schedule gets interrupted know that you can still make these delicious cookies 24, 48 and even 72 hours later.

After 72 hours, you’ll notice that the dough starts to “seep,” releasing the liquid. That’s not the best for a successful bake. You can try stirring and incorporating that moisture back in, but basically, the grains are saying they’re done. Hydration is over, and the cell structure is releasing some moisture.

Our volunteers have the opportunity to bake and donate two different items for our neighborhood food banks. Both are whole grain, delicious, and equally appreciated by food bank clients. The donation is your choice! You can choose bread, energy cookies or both! Or mix it up, donate bread one week and energy cookies the next.

Once you have attended an information session and registered as a volunteer, you can download the recipes for either of our program bakes.

Our Signature Bread!

Our Honey Oat Sandwich Loaf recipe is available in multiple formats, spreadsheet or pdf, and multiple leavening options – meaning you can use commercial yeast or a natural starter. Folks rave about our bread. Home-baked bread is a time commitment, about 6-7 hours per batch. A batch depends on your equipment, generally, bakers will choose to make 3-4 loaves. Experienced dough-handling skills are not required; we support your journey every step of the way. These loaves are a terrific way to nourish our community.

Our Grab ‘N Go Energy Cookies!

Find bread a little intimidating. Need something that takes less time, something you can mix in one bowl with a wooden spoon?! Our Grab ‘N Go Energy Cookies are a perfect match. Made with six nutritious whole-grain flours, you can mix up a batch of 32 cookies in just a few minutes and complete the whole project in just a few hours of baking.

We are big fans of local ingredients and organic is preferred when it fits our volunteer’s budgets. We receive questions on if our items are whole grain. Here’s the scoop.

Our Honey Oat Sandwich Loaves are made from 50% Whole Grain Bread Flour and 50% High Extraction flour. A few exceptions exist on the blend depending on local market conditions. For example, in Hailey Idaho we use locally milled even higher extraction Hillside Grain flour.

Our sandwich loaf is considered a whole grain loaf but it is really about 75% whole grain due to the blend of flours.

What about the Energy Cookie? The energy cookie is a blend of 6 different whole grain flours. Whole grain pastry flour, whole grain oat flour, whole grain rye flour, oatmeal, whole grain chickpea flour, and almond meal – the whole almond.